Meet some of UNC Hussman's fall 2021 students
By Beth Hatcher
The UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media welcomes 1,059 students this fall — 915 undergraduate and 144 graduate students.
Behind those numbers are faces, purposes and stories — the narratives of determination and excellence that give meaning to the mission of the school.
As fall 2021 semester starts, we want to share a few of those stories with you.
Say hello to eight of our fall 2021 UNC Hussman students: Anissa Deol ’22, Hannah Griffin ’22, Daniel Johnson ’22 (M.A.), Angelina Katsanis ’23, Michele Meyer ’21 (Ph.D.), Clay B. Morris ’23, John Ratkowiak ’23 and Claire Revere ’22 (M.A.).
Click on each name above to go to that student's story in the text.
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Media and journalism student pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
What drew you to UNC Hussman?
Coming into college, Deol showed interests in many subjects — a love of storytelling tied those interests together, especially telling stories centered around human conflict and global security. UNC Hussman is teaching her how to tell those stories across written and visual platforms. “From coding classes to business reporting, the Hussman curriculum gave me something new to learn every semester.” Check out some of Deol's storytelling work on her personal website, including an examination of her mother’s immigration to the U.S.
Career ambitions:
Deol hopes to eventually pursue an MFA and MBA and open her own production company that will allow her to work both in front of and behind the scenes in film.
What did you do during the summer?
“I was a product management and marketing intern at ATEC Spine in Carlsbad, California. They specialize in creating new, revolutionizing approaches to spine surgery. I took this internship to help me learn how people sell their products and ideas.”
What are you looking forward to this year?
“I am looking forward to working on my senior honors thesis with Associate Professor Trevy McDonald, who has been a teacher and mentor for me! I can’t wait to see her in person!”
Little-known fact about yourself:
Deol is a first-degree black belt in karate.
Hometown: Indian Land, South Carolina
Advertising and public relations student pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
What drew you to UNC Hussman?
Griffin still remembers her first time touring Carroll Hall at age 16, seeing the literal signs of the school’s excellence — like banners proclaiming National Student Advertising Competition wins and Hearst national championships. “Even back then, the message was clear: This place produces winners. Now, as I enter my senior year, I can only hope that the same will prove to be true of me.”
Career ambitions:
She’ll be New York City bound to pursue a lifelong dream of working in the fashion industry. “I intend to work on the marketing/advertising side of things within the luxury sector — hopefully contributing to the kinds of campaigns that give you chills and motivate you to do something that matters in this world. Eventually, I also plan to hop overseas and attend the London College of Fashion’s MBA program.”
What did you do during the summer?
She worked as a public relations and content creation intern for LAPOINTE, a luxury fashion brand based out of New York City. “I spent the summer helping the public relations team get celebrities all glammed up in some fabulous outfits for press tours, high-profile events and editorial shoots!”
What are you looking forward to this year?
“I am very excited to have been selected to be a part of UNC Media Hub this fall, where I will be working on the public relations and marketing team alongside fellow UNC Hussman students. I’m also very, very excited to work on the fall and spring issues of Coulture.” Griffin serves on the executive board of Coulture magazine, a student-produced fashion and lifestyle magazine, as creative director. “I’m immensely proud of the issues of Coulture that have been published throughout my time as creative director.”
Little-known fact about yourself:
She’s been doing portrait photography since she was 13.
Hometown: Cary, North Carolina
Master’s student studying theory and research.
What drew you to UNC Hussman?
After his experiences as a journalist for the U.S. Army in Iraq, Johnson wanted to learn more about the theories and history of the field. “I want to teach and felt that having both a practical and theoretical background would make me a better teacher. In January 2020, I published a narrative journalism book on my 2016 experiences in Iraq during the war against ISIS, #Inherent Resolve. I also had a piece published in Slate during July on the military-civil divide.”
Career ambitions:
After he graduates, Johnson wants to pursue a Ph.D. and eventually teach at the university level.
What did you do during the summer?
During the summer break, Johnson worked with the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) on research that focused on the Black Lives Matter movement.
What are you looking forward to this year?
“This year I am looking forward to continuing working with CITAP and conducting research on disinformation and information conflict.”
Little-known fact about yourself:
He switched from English to a criminal justice major as an undergraduate because he didn’t enjoy writing. He enjoys writing now, though.
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Visual communications student pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
What drew you to UNC Hussman?
Katsanis came to UNC as a neuroscience and psychology double major but eventually realized she could make her side passions of journalism and photography a career and knew that UNC Hussman had the perfect resources and mentors to help her.
Career ambitions:
“I would love to take my work global and report on issues abroad that are currently less visible or known in the U.S. I spent last semester near family in Greece on my own version of a study abroad, which was undoubtedly influential in my determination to move to another country after college.”
What did you do during the summer?
Katsanis made a cross-country trip over the summer to intern at a local paper in eastern Oregon, the Malheur Enterprise, where she served as the only photographer. “I also got to do work in video and design. It was great to get to know a small town over the course of the summer so that I could actually be part of the community I was reporting on.” Read Katsanis’ story from her internship about a nearly blind track and field runner in rural Oregon who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
What are you looking forward to this year?
“I’m very excited for the “MEJO 582: Advanced Documentary Video Storytelling” class this fall. I feel like most of my video content has been non-news focused and when I do have the chance to do a long-form project, I lean toward photo. So it’ll be great to grow my video documentary skills and see if it’s something I’m interested in pursuing more seriously.”
Little-known fact about yourself:
She isn’t pre-digital, but her photography skills are. Katsanis’ love for photography started in the darkroom where she worked in experimental processes. “It’s still my favorite place to be and that work has definitely influenced my digital work.”
Hometown: Califon, New Jersey
Doctoral candidate studying media and communication.
What drew you to UNC Hussman?
Meyer, whose dissertation is about queer TikTok creators, knew she wanted to study marginalization and representation in media for a long time. After earning her master’s degree at Syracuse University, she got into several doctoral programs, but was drawn to UNC Hussman by the interview weekend. “I just remember being at the happy hour and having really interesting conversations with current students and professors and thinking ‘everyone here is smarter than me and I love that.’”
Career ambitions:
Meyer recently started her “dream job” as the senior director of research and methodologies with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, where she gets to work with clients and create reports that assess intersectional representations in the industry. She is one of the authors on the institute’s new report about Asian and Pacific Islander representation in Hollywood. Beyond that, she’d like to do more public-facing work surrounding representation and create support systems and materials for online video creators.
What did you do over summer break?
"Worked! I have a job, a dissertation to finish, and I’m on a grant through Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP). I’m also planning my wedding.”
What are you looking forward to this year?
“Hopefully becoming Dr. Meyer!”
Little-known fact about yourself:
“I can identity all the flags of the world.”
Hometown: Madison, Mississippi
Media and journalism student pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
What drew you to UNC Hussman?
“I've always been intrigued by the power of storytelling through writing,” said Morris, who calls himself an avid magazine reader. He cites Ta-Nehisi Coates' writing at The Atlantic, and André Leon Talley's work at Vogue as inspirational. Morris, The Daily Tar Heel's incoming diversity, equity and inclusion officer for 2021-22, already has his own bylines, including a piece he penned for the Mississippi Free Press about a Mississippi trans woman.
Career ambitions:
He sees a future in the magazine industry, writing about race, fashion, accountability and the intersection of those topics, perhaps at publications like Vogue or The Atlantic. Eventually, he’d like to go to law school and study copyright and intellectual property law and become general counsel for a major fashion brand.
What did you do during the summer?
He interned with the fashion brand Loewe as a project development and rotation intern in New York City. Because he has an interest in fashion writing, Morris wanted to take deep dive into both the business and creative side of the industry in order to strengthen his writing.
What are you looking forward to this year?
He is excited about continuing work with Coulture magazine and The Daily Tar Heel. “I've been a member of Coulture magazine since fall 2019. There, I began as a style team member and then worked my way up to become a style editor. I've been a staff writer for the DTH’s University Desk since fall 2020.”
Little-known fact about yourself:
The summer before college, he backpacked through northern Canada and encountered a bear almost face-to-face. “And I’m still here to tell the story.”
Hometown: Pensacola Beach, Florida
Advertising and public relations student pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
What drew you to UNC Hussman?
Pre-college conversations with UNC Hussman students at the camp Carolina Kickoff heightened Ratkowiak’s interest in advertising — a field he thought could combine his passions of creativity and multimedia. After taking two advertising classes during his first semester at UNC, he knew he’d found the right school.
Career ambitions:
He plans to start his career as a junior creative at an advertising agency in New York City or Los Angeles. With a passion for emerging technologies and experiential marketing, he would love to work at an agency that is innovative and pushing brands and culture forward. Check out more of his work on his personal website.
What did you do over the summer?
This summer, he worked as a digital production intern at RPA with clients like Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, La-Z-Boy and Pocky — leading website updates, overseeing brief kickoffs, communicating with vendors and more. “Though the program was primarily remote, I relocated to Los Angeles to explore the area. I loved having the chance to meet with my work team in person, and I enjoyed trying local coffee shops and restaurants around downtown during the work week.”
What are you looking forward to this year?
He looks forward to the “MEJO 591: Workroom FashionMash Experiential Marketing” course with Professor of the Practice Dana McMahan. “Her creative advertising course last spring challenged me as a creative, and I had a blast collaborating with other Hussman students on our projects.”
Little-known fact about yourself:
He grew up in a military family and has called many places home, such as Oahu, Hawaii, and Okinawa, Japan.
Hometown: Seattle, Washington
Master’s student studying strategic communication.
What drew you to UNC Hussman?
“When considering graduate school programs, I was drawn to UNC Hussman for the opportunity to work on client-driven projects in my coursework, the school’s preeminent reputation in the journalism industry, and the strong sense of community within the school. Specifically, the strategic communication track was appealing for its emphasis on conducting research to ideate data-driven insights. Additionally, the interdisciplinary coursework has equipped me with the flexibility to pursue a variety of public relations and advertising positions.”
Career ambitions:
Revere wants to work for a socially conscious organization and create multimedia campaigns that authentically convey brand stories and messaging that inspire social change for the good and the protection of the planet.
What did you do over the summer?
Revere participated in UNC Hussman’s Carolina Photojournalism Workshop, honing her visual storytelling skills and producing a short-form documentary video showcasing the people and culture of West Jefferson, North Carolina. She also continued her fellowship with the Reese Innovation Lab, where she oversees the creative team and serves as a public relations specialist and videographer.
What are you looking forward to this year?
“I'm looking forward to my thesis research and working closely with my committee to create a project that serves as a culmination of my learning at UNC Hussman.”
Little-known fact about yourself:
Revere is a certified scuba diver and a three-time ultimate Frisbee world champion.
Check out more fall 2021 student numbers below.
